Multiple Mental Disorders and Suicidality; Cross-Ethnic Variation among Blacks

Background: For psychiatric disorders, comorbidity is a rule rather thanexception. Thus it is particularly important to study additive and multiplicativeeffects of multiple mental disorders on suicidal behaviors.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the ethnic differences inmultiplicative effects of mental disorders on suicidal ideation among Blackadults in the United States.Materials and Methods: Data came from the National Survey of AmericanLife, 2001-2003. For this study, we used data of 5,181 Black adults (3,570African Americans and 1,621 Caribbean Blacks). Lifetime depression, anxiety,and drug abuse as well as suicidal ideation were measured, using the WorldMental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI).Ethnic specific logistic regressions were used to determine multiplicativeeffects of anxiety, depression and drug abuse on suicidal thoughts amongAfrican Americans and Caribbean Blacks.Results: Depression showed multiplicative effects with anxiety and drug abusefor African Americans, but not Caribbean Blacks. Drug abuse and anxietyshowed multiplicative effects among Caribbean Blacks but not AfricanAmericans.Conclusion: Based on our study, ethnicity modifies how anxiety, depressionand drug abuse contribute to suicidality among Blacks. As suicide risk isdifferently influenced by multiple psychiatric disorders for African Americansand Caribbean Blacks, ethnic-specific programs for screening and prevention ofsuicide is suggested.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ethnic Groups ، Suicidal Ideation ، Depression ، Anxiety